jarm86
Forum Member
Thought I would show you another of the latest mods to the mighty foz,
I know theres a few posts on this, but thought I would put together a bit of a brief diy on how I made this plate. This is for an 07 NA too. but as per the link should fit 02-08 NA's
**As always these days I take no responsibility for the legality, reliability, function of this plate and you fab and fit it entirely at your own risk**
Plans for the plate where taken from Here:
https://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f139/diy-sump-guard-bash-plate-35985/
Note: As i found out after bending this up that the dimension down the RHS of the plate that
reads **320 & 50 should add up to a total of 370** where I assumed the 50mm was just dimensioning the bending point, this left me with only just enough meat on both sides to drill my bolt holes.
I have attached my .dxf file that can be used for profile cutting the sheet out but be warned it contains the above mentioned error, I would have fixed but have issues with CAD on my PC at the minute
View attachment Bash Plate - Cut 1 x from 1.6mm Plate Note drawing not to scale.zip
At some point in the future I will probably weld a bit of extra plate over the bolt holes and redrill for some extra strength..
So with that warning out of the way.
Materials Req:
Metal Sheet at least 900 x 600**
- I used 1.6mm and would suggest if you want to go heavier you better know a friend with a sheet metal bender because it will be very difficult to bend yourself in sizes above that.
- 4 x M8 x 20mm bolts and flat washers - Easier that using existing as you don't have to get bolt holes to work with the spacers on the existing bolts that stop then crushing your plastic guard.
Tools Required:
- A Friend with a water jet or laser cutting machine (Or a steady hand and appropriate power tool will do)
- Wide Flat bench to clamp onto.
- 2 x Clamps
- Hammer & Rubber Mallet
- Drill & Drill bits
- Small Round file
Step 1.
Get your piece of sheet metal.
Step 2.
Hopefully use the attached .dxf file and have someone cut it out for you like i did.
Step 3.
Mark up your bending points on your plate, taking care to ensure the plate is around the
right way and that you're bending the right bits up & down.. (double check before you bend)
Step 4.
To bend the plate i clamped it along the edge of a workbench and then started off the bend with a steel hammer.
**Note: Work your way from the inner bends to the outer bends, much easier to clamp your plate this way.
Once you've worked your way along the edge and begin to see signs of a bend I found that using my hands and body weight i could generally bend the plate over a fair way.
Check the angle of your bends, - I printed out a protractor off the net on an a4 sheet.
Finish of angle with a large rubber mallet to minimise dents.
Step 5.
Complete all bends to the given angles and then hold the plate in position under the car to
check it clears your headers.
Step 6.
If you're happy with the shape of the plate its time to drill your bolt holes, I started by measuring the centres of the rear holes and then punching and drilling a hole about 25-30mm in from the edge (just make sure that whereever you're locating them puts the front of the plate in the correct position.)
Once the holes are drilled fit the plate and check if you can get both rear bolts in, If not you can use the round file to enlarge / slot the holes in whatever direction you need.
Once the rears bolt up hold the front of the plate in position and by measuring in under the plate to the centre of the holes workout where you need to drill these, once again I used the round file to slot / enlarge these holes until it all fitted.
This part is a bit of mucking around but take your time and you can get it right.
Step 7.
Trial fit your new bash plate.
Bolt it up tight and give it a few solid hits with your hand, I found a slight buzz where my plate was too close to the subframe, A small bend with the pliers fixed that.
Looking good!!
Step 8.
A quick coat of matt black does a good job of hiding any hammer dents you created.
Step 9. **Optional**
Burn your genuine plaschtic bash guard and dance around the flames..
Step 10.
Step back and admire your hard work
I know theres a few posts on this, but thought I would put together a bit of a brief diy on how I made this plate. This is for an 07 NA too. but as per the link should fit 02-08 NA's
**As always these days I take no responsibility for the legality, reliability, function of this plate and you fab and fit it entirely at your own risk**
Plans for the plate where taken from Here:
https://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f139/diy-sump-guard-bash-plate-35985/
Note: As i found out after bending this up that the dimension down the RHS of the plate that
reads **320 & 50 should add up to a total of 370** where I assumed the 50mm was just dimensioning the bending point, this left me with only just enough meat on both sides to drill my bolt holes.
I have attached my .dxf file that can be used for profile cutting the sheet out but be warned it contains the above mentioned error, I would have fixed but have issues with CAD on my PC at the minute
View attachment Bash Plate - Cut 1 x from 1.6mm Plate Note drawing not to scale.zip
At some point in the future I will probably weld a bit of extra plate over the bolt holes and redrill for some extra strength..
So with that warning out of the way.
Materials Req:
Metal Sheet at least 900 x 600**
- I used 1.6mm and would suggest if you want to go heavier you better know a friend with a sheet metal bender because it will be very difficult to bend yourself in sizes above that.
- 4 x M8 x 20mm bolts and flat washers - Easier that using existing as you don't have to get bolt holes to work with the spacers on the existing bolts that stop then crushing your plastic guard.
Tools Required:
- A Friend with a water jet or laser cutting machine (Or a steady hand and appropriate power tool will do)
- Wide Flat bench to clamp onto.
- 2 x Clamps
- Hammer & Rubber Mallet
- Drill & Drill bits
- Small Round file
Step 1.
Get your piece of sheet metal.
Step 2.
Hopefully use the attached .dxf file and have someone cut it out for you like i did.
Step 3.
Mark up your bending points on your plate, taking care to ensure the plate is around the
right way and that you're bending the right bits up & down.. (double check before you bend)
Step 4.
To bend the plate i clamped it along the edge of a workbench and then started off the bend with a steel hammer.
**Note: Work your way from the inner bends to the outer bends, much easier to clamp your plate this way.
Once you've worked your way along the edge and begin to see signs of a bend I found that using my hands and body weight i could generally bend the plate over a fair way.
Check the angle of your bends, - I printed out a protractor off the net on an a4 sheet.
Finish of angle with a large rubber mallet to minimise dents.
Step 5.
Complete all bends to the given angles and then hold the plate in position under the car to
check it clears your headers.
Step 6.
If you're happy with the shape of the plate its time to drill your bolt holes, I started by measuring the centres of the rear holes and then punching and drilling a hole about 25-30mm in from the edge (just make sure that whereever you're locating them puts the front of the plate in the correct position.)
Once the holes are drilled fit the plate and check if you can get both rear bolts in, If not you can use the round file to enlarge / slot the holes in whatever direction you need.
Once the rears bolt up hold the front of the plate in position and by measuring in under the plate to the centre of the holes workout where you need to drill these, once again I used the round file to slot / enlarge these holes until it all fitted.
This part is a bit of mucking around but take your time and you can get it right.
Step 7.
Trial fit your new bash plate.
Bolt it up tight and give it a few solid hits with your hand, I found a slight buzz where my plate was too close to the subframe, A small bend with the pliers fixed that.
Looking good!!
Step 8.
A quick coat of matt black does a good job of hiding any hammer dents you created.
Step 9. **Optional**
Burn your genuine plaschtic bash guard and dance around the flames..
Step 10.
Step back and admire your hard work
I approve, lol.
